Restaurants
by John M. Zukoski on August 11, 2010 | 
32 Comments | Topics: Development · Restaurants
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse is eager to open a new location in the Tri-Valley. Early indications point to Dublin as BJ’s preferred location for its new restaurant. BJ’s will most likely construct a new building roughly 9,000 square feet in size instead of leasing space from an existing building. The Shops at Waterford would have been an option for BJ’s, if the property owner could relocate the nail salon and reconfigure the space formerly occupied by Stacey’s and Blockbuster. Unfortunately, The Shops at Waterford simply does not have nearly the parking spaces to meet BJ’s minimum parking requirement.
BJ’s is considering at least two sites in Dublin. The first is a parcel that sits between Dublin Toyota and Hacienda Crossings. This location is close to where BJ’s target market lives, near a thriving retail and entertainment hub, and highly visible from I-580. The second is the parking lot next to the vacant Mervyn’s building and Toys “R” Us in Downtown Dublin. This site is appealing to BJ’s, because the new restaurant will be next to the West Dublin BART station, easily accessible from both I-680 and I-580, and well positioned to take advantage of the emerging Downtown Dublin District. Simon Malls took a similar approach at Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton when it built The Cheesecake Factory and PF Chang’s on top of land previously used for parking.
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by John M. Zukoski on July 10, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Restaurants
Kadupul is one of Dublin’s newest restaurants, but they have an established track record for their popular catering business. Located in the San Ramon Valley Plaza at 8939 San Ramon Road in Dublin next to Mountain Mike’s, Kadupul offers a sensational array of authentic Sri Lankan cuisine that is primed with aromatic fresh roasted spices and herbs unique to Sri Lanka’s renowned heritage. Kadupul is the realized dream of owners and operators Aloka Desilva and Eranga Goonawardena. Aloka and Eranga have been operating their successful catering business Lakdiva Foods for over six years. It was after prompting from many of their clients that they decided to open their restaurant Kadupul in Dublin.
The Dublin location is perfect for Aloka and Eranga because the Dublin-San Ramon area is the hub for most of their loyal clients and their restaurant is so easily accessible from I-680. The long-term vision for Kadupul is to blossom into a more formal restaurant with fusion cuisine. “There is a lot that can be done with these brand new flavors,” noted Kadupul’s flavoring expert Aloka Goonawardena.
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by John M. Zukoski on May 23, 2010 | 22 Comments | Topics: Development · Restaurants
According to chatters from various sources, Grafton Station seems to be very close to landing a steakhouse. The steakhouse is owned by an early founder of the storied Hungry Hunter Steakhouse empire. Details should be emerging soon. The addition of a steakhouse to Grafton Station would make a great deal of sense and should complement Buffalo Wild Wings and Karma Fusion Lounge very nicely. In addition to these restaurants, Grafton Station is also home to Lowe’s and Dublin Ranch Dental.
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by John M. Zukoski on April 28, 2010 | 21 Comments | Topics: City Hall · Restaurants
The City of Dublin recently relaxed its restaurant parking standards and brought them more in line with the parking requirements for other cities in the Tri-Valley. The new parking standards apply “common sense” logic towards determining the number of required parking spaces. Under the legacy parking requirement, Nothing Bundt Cakes in The Shops at Tralee, for example, required 19 parking spaces, because the storefront has 1,900-square-foot of space. Of course, Nothing Bundt Cakes customers typically only need a few minutes to complete their transactions, and the shop typically has no more than a handful of customers at any given time. Similarly, Papa John’s take-out pizza had a 12 parking space requirement under the old rules. The new rules significantly reduce the number of required spaces for both businesses.
The new parking ordinance frees up spaces allotted to current restaurants that can now be used for incoming restaurants. The reduced requirement will provide a competitive boost for shopping centers that have limited parking such as the Ulferts Center, Grafton Station, The Shops at Waterford, and Dublin Corners (home to Tomatina). Restaurants will now be able to operate in Dublin without having to jump through as many hoops as before to be granted the special parking exceptions.
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by John M. Zukoski on January 7, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Restaurants
Dosa Place in Dublin, CA, offers pan-Indian cuisine with a South Indian core. Their superstar dishes include the dosa (crepes made from ground rice and lentils) and Indian flatbreads that are complemented by a magnificent array of chutneys and sauces.
As a thank you to our readers, the Around Dublin Blog is teaming up with Dosa Place to offer you free:
- Filter Coffee or Masala Chai (one per person); and
- House Appetizer (for order from every group of two or more).
Please just say that you’d like the “Around Dublin Blog” special. There is a $20 minimum order requirement, and this special is only valid through February 6, 2010.
Dosa Place is an Around Dublin favorite because it is run from the customer’s perspective with great service, a broad menu, a comfortable setting, free wi-fi, and fresh ingredients. All leftover food is tossed out at the end of the day. The restaurant design and layout are absolutely stunning – reflecting the nearly one year invested in renovating the building and adding tenant improvements.
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by John M. Zukoski on December 13, 2009 | No Comments | Topics: Restaurants
Named after the tallest mountain range in Afghanistan, Pamir Restaurant recently opened in Dublin’s Ulferts Center and has already established a base of loyal customers that can’t get enough of the nascent restaurant’s unique fare of Afghan (Herati style) and Mediterranean cuisine with delicious pizzas to boot.
Owners Farid and Sherry have lived in Dublin for the past 6 years and they absolutely love the people, families, and wonderful neighbors of Dublin. “Neighbors and customers are always like family. The food has to be the best,” explains Farid. Farid and Sherry chose to open Pamir at the Ulferts Center because of the plaza’s regional draw and the projected population growth in the surrounding area.
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by John M. Zukoski on November 29, 2009 | 1 Comment | Topics: Restaurants
Restaurant.com has quickly become a favorite destination of many Tri-Valley residents that are looking to try out restaurants and save money on a great meal at the same time. Here’s how it works:
- You can start search for restaurants by zip code with a search radius of anywhere from 1 to 30 miles. Refine search results based on anything from Cuisine to Atmosphere to Entertainment.
- Select gift certificate options ranging in value from $10 to $100 with discounts ranging anywhere from 60% to over 90% depending on restaurant and discount code.
- Add the gift certificate to your cart and check-out. Some usage restrictions typically apply based on restaurant.
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by John M. Zukoski on November 13, 2009 | 64 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Restaurants
Grafton Station is a gorgeous shopping center in east Dublin. Anchored by Lowe’s and home to an incredibly successful Buffalo Wild Wings franchise, Grafton Station has been working hard to sign up additional lessees. It looks like that hard work is starting to pay off for Grafton Station.
A San Francisco-based Asian Fusion restaurant is expected to open a new location right here in Dublin at Grafton Station. This restaurant will also have a nightclub and a dance floor for evening enjoyment (pending Planning Commission approval). More details should be coming later this year.
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by John M. Zukoski on October 5, 2009 | 35 Comments | Topics: Opinions · Restaurants · Retail
It was recently reported that Dublin is ranked number one in terms of projected population growth through 2035. Experts are estimating that Dublin will grow by 69% between now and 2035 – with most of the growth occurring in east Dublin. Projects like Fallon Village, Grafton Plaza, Sorrento East, and Wallis Ranch will attract thousands of new families to east Dublin – families that will need a full array of restaurants and shops to complement their lifestyles.
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